Buffing wheel



18, E. W. HALL.

BUFFING WHEEL Filed Aug. 5, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l lnvenToT.

Elisha W. Hall b wwkw Feb. 18, 1936. E. w. HALL 2 03 ,105

. BUFFING WHEEL Filed Aug. 3, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nvenTor. a Elisha \NQHQH mww i ys- Patented Feb. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in buffing wheels and the general object thereof is to produce a bufling wheel comprising a plurality of superimposed layers of fibrous material united by lines of stitching disposed in a novel manner: and acting to reduce to a minimum the fraying of the wheel which is produced-by the centrifugal force of rapid rotation and to provide a wheel of unusual utility.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bufiing wheel having lines of stitching so arranged as to minimize the discharge by centrifugal force of the grinding and polishing material which is applied to the periphery of the wheel to facilitate the grinding and bufling action thereof.

A furthe r object of the invention is to provide a buffing wheel having lines of stitching so dis posed with respect to the major portion of the boiling wheel as to increase its rigidity when rotated in one direction, thereby providing a hard grinding, buffing or polishing surface when rotated in such direction in engagement with the work, and a relatively soft peripheral surface when rotated in the other direction in engagement with the work.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a process by means of which a plurality of buffing wheels may be more economically and rapidly constructed than has heretofore been possible, and which may be employed to produce buifing wheels having the characteristics above described. This is accomplished in the present invention by superimposing a. number of webs or layers of fibrous material of a width equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the desired wheels and of a length equal at least to the sum of the diameters of a-predetermined number of such wheels, uniting said layers by lines of stitching, preferably disposed in parallelism and extending across or preferably throughout the lengths of said layers, and thereafter cutting substantially? contiguous circular bufllng wheels from the united layers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a process of making a plurality of bufllng wheels in the manner above described, also cutting from' the portions of the material lying between the peripheries of adjacent wheels and which have been secured together by the aforesaid lines of stitching, sectors adapted to be assembled about a common center and thereafter so securing the sectors together as to produce other buffing wheels, thereby salvaging material which has usually been considered waste material and which amounts to approximately twenty to twenty-five per cent of the total material of the superimposed layers.

These and other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying draw- 1 ings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates an assemblage of a plurality of superimposed layers of fibrous material, such 19 as canvas, cotton duck, paper, etc., secured together by lines of stitching extending longitudinally of the webs or lengths of the material and illustrating the manner in which a number of bufiing wheels of approximately the same di- 15 ameter are cut from said stitched superimposed layers, and also the preferred manner in which sectors of material united by the lines of stitching are also out from the assembled webs;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view or a preferred 20 form of boiling wheel shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a buffing wheel formed by assembling a proper number of sectors cut from the united superimposed webs of material illustrated in Fig. 1, and united to-' 25 gether by outer disks secured thereto by circular or spiral lines of stitching extending through the outer disks and the assembled sectors;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a modified form of bufiing wheel embodying the invention; 80 and,

Fig. 5 is a somewhat smaller plan view illustrating another form of stitching for securing the superimposed layers and embodying the prescnt invention.

In the previous construction of bufiing wheels the superimposed layers of fabric, or other suitable material, have been united by spaced concentric or spiral lines of stitching, by radial lines of stitching, by curved lines of stitching extending from approximately the center of the wheel, or in some instances by intersecting lines of stitching extending in various directions to form pockets for the composition which is applied to the periphery of the wheel. Bufllng wheels having the concentric or circular lines of stitching fray very rapidly under the action of centrifugal force and as the successive lines of stitching are worn away such fraying is reproduced. In all such cases the bufiing wheel presents a soft periphery which rapidly disintegrates.

In bufl'lng wheel constructions in which the lines of stitching extend radially or in curves from the center or from points adjacent to the center, the increased proximity of the peripheral 10 invention is to provide a wheel comprising a plurality of superimposed layers so secured together by lines of stitching that when the wheel is rotated in one direction the angular relation of the lines of stitching to radii from their points of intersection with the periphery of the wheel will reenforce its peripheral zone and cause it to present a relatively hard work-engaging surface, and whenthe wheel is rotated in the reverse direction will present a softer work-engaging surface. By reason of this construction the wheel may be used with a suitable composition to abrade or polish rapidly and when rotated in the opposite direction with a suitable composition applied thereto to buff, polish or color" the material in such a manner as to present a lustrous surface. By reason of the present invention, therefore, a buillng wheel having novel characteristics is provided which adapts it to perform different kinds of buffing which have hitherto required the use of independent bufling wheels.

Another object of the invention is to provide bufling wheels of approximately uniform rigidity throughout the wheel. This is accomplished by stitching the superimposed layers of material together by a plurality of sinuous lines of stitching which extend across the wheel in substantial parallelism and in the general direction of chords to the periphery of the wheel. By means of this character of stitching the successive stitches of the row .are so disposed relatively to the periphery of the wheel as to maintain a firm anchorage of the layers together as the stitches are gradually' worn away during the bufiing operation and thereby to prevent undue fraying of the periphery of the wheel.

The word sinuous" is used herein in a broad sense to include not only reversely curved lines of stitching, but also zig-zag lines of stitching and lines of stitching in which the alternating curves are not of a uniform character.

The term parallel lines of stitching" as employed herein also designates lines of stitching which are in substantial parallelism, but not necessarily in exact parallelism or equally spaced.

In the preferred construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bufiing wheel I is of circular form and comprises a number of layers of suitable fibrous material, as above described, secured togetherb y rows' of stitching 2 which extend entirely across the face of the wheel in lines which are equidistant apart throughout their length and which present end portions 3 curving adjacent the periphery of the wheel in such a manner as to form complementary angles with tangents at the points of intersection with the periphery which are respectively greater and less than a right angle so that the majority of the lines of stitching extend in such angular relation to radii from their points of intersection with the periphery as to present an acute angle when the wheel is rotated in one direction, and a relatively 0btuse angle when the wheel is rotated in the other direction. By reason of this construction the inclination of the lines of stitching at the periphery of the wheel when rotated in the direction of the acute angle will reenforce the periphery of the wheel, so that it will present a relatively hard work-engaging surface. Furthermore, the lines of stitching are so curved that the end portion of each line extends across a chord tangential to an adjacent line of stitching so that the angular relation of each of said end portions of the line of stitching to radii at the periphery provides a barrier which restricts the projection of the bufiing composition from the wheel by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wheel, thereby retaining the composition much more effectively than in previous constructions, and enabling the wheel to do more rapid work than usual bufllng wheels of equal size and consequently prolonging the life of the wheel.

By reason of the stitching herein described the layers of fabric are prevented from separating and rolling over at the edge of the wheel which would result in the presentation of the side of the fabric to the article being treated, thereby greatly decreasing the buifing action.

Furthermore, by the present method of stitching,

in which the stitches retain the layers of material together at substantially the edge of the wheel, the ends of the fibres are maintained in a substantially radial position, so that the composition or polishing material, which generally comprises stearic acid and abrasive granules, adheres more firmly to the radially extending fibres than would be the case if the fibres were free to separate or fold over.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modified construction in which the central portions 4 of the lines of stitching are substantially parallel to a radius of the wheel, while the end portions 5 of the majority of the lines of stitching curve in such direction as to extend in angular relation to radii from their points of intersection with the periphery and serve to reenforce the peripheral zone of the wheel when rotated in one direction in the manneigabove described and thereby present arelativ 1y hard work-engaging surface, and when the wheel is rotated in the opposite direction to present a softer work-engaging surface.

While it is true that in the constructions disclosed in the larger wheels of Fig. l and in the wheels of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 not all of the lines of stitching extend in such angular relation to radii from their points of intersection with the periphery as to reenforce the periphery in the manner above described, such remaining portions of the area of the wheel are relatively small and do not materially diminish the effectiveness of operation of the wheel in the manner above described.

In the bufilng wheel construction illustrated in Fig. 5, the superimposed layers of fibrous material are united by substantially parallel zig-zag rows of stitching 6, which extend in the direction of chords to the periphery of the wheel.

While such bufiing wheels are not characterized by greater peripheral rigidity when rotated in one direction in engagement with the work than when rotated in the reverse direction, substantially the same rigidity of the wheel is maintained as it is worn down toward the center.

Furthermore, the zig-zag lines of stitching always present at their ends short lines of stitching I extending at an angle to a radius of the wheel from the point of intersection with its periphery which serves to retain the bufilng or polishing composition, which is supplied to the periphery of the wheel, against the action of centrifugal force and thereby increase the effectiveness of the-buffing action of the wheel.

One of the important features of the invention as above stated is to provide a process of constructing buiiing wheels of the character described in which several wheels, preferably of like diameter, can be rapidly produced from a plurality of superimposed layers of fabric, or other fibrous material, or layers of fabric interspersed with layers of other kinds of fibrous material. This is accomplished in the present invention by superimposing the required number of superimposed layers of material to produce a wheel of the desired thickness and thereafter uniting said layers by rows of stitching extending across the material in any desired direction and then cutting the wheels from the superimposed layers thus united.

The process of constructing a number of bufling wheels having the characteristics of the bufflng wheel illustrated in Fig. 2 is shown in Fig. 1v in which a plurality of superimposed webs of material 8 are united by parallel sinuous rows of stitching 2, the alternating arcs of curvature being so proportioned that the end portions 3 of thevmajority, and in fact practically'all, of the rows of stitchingextend in similar angular relation to radii from their points of intersection with the periphery and serve to reenforce the peripheral zone of the wheel so that when it is rotated in one direction it will present a relatively hard surface when engaged by the work, and when rotated in the reverse direction will present a relatively softer work-engaging surface.

By selecting webs of cloth or other material of a width equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the desired bufiing wheel, and of a length at least equal to the sum of the diameters of a predetermined number of such wheels, and by suitably computing the lengths of the arcs of curvature of the sinuous lines of stitching, the several wheels may be cut from the superimposed webs with their peripheries extending to the edges of the superimposed webs and the periphery of each wheel of the row contiguous to or substantially touching the periphery of an adjacent wheel or wheels.

When the several bufling wheels are cut from the web as abovedescribed the remainder of the web is in the form of substantially triangular sections 9 having straight bases l corresponding to the edges of the superimposed webs, with arcuate sides I l extending from the base approximately to the longitudinal central vertical plane of the superimposed layer.

The superimposed layers of these triangularlike sections are secured together by the lines of stitching 2 and may in turn be cut to form sectors which may be assembled edge to edge to produce other bufiing wheels, such as are illustrated in Fig. 3.

The cutting of the main bufling wheelsysuch as illustrated in Fig. 2, may be performed by a circular cutting die or series of dies and the cutting of the sectors from the remaining material of the web may also be accomplished by a suitable die or .dies.

In the method illustrated in Fig. 1 the die is so constructed as to cut from the remaining portions of the united superimposed layers sectors having an arcuate base l2 and radial sides l3 and I4. Preferably one of the sides l3 of these sectors is provided with a notch I5 and the other side M with a complementary projection I6, so that when assembled the projection l6 will fit terial which have not been united by lines of stitching, the triangular-like portions of the material have either been considered wastage and sold as rags, or have been laboriously assembled and afterwards stitched together. In the latter case such displacement of the superimposed layers of the triangular-like sections is likely to occur as will render the wheel made of such pieces imperfect and the assemblage of the numerous sectors of superimposed layers obviously is so difficult that the production of a-wheel in this manner is unprofitable.

By reason of the present invention, however, the required number of sectors of united superimposed layers can be readily assembled, suitable covering disks l'l preferably of heavy fabric applied to the outer sides of the superimposed layers, and the whole secured together by a continuous spiral line of stitching I8, or by concentric lines of stitching, or other usual forms of stitches, so that the completed wheel will be practically as strong as any bufiing wheel formed of integral circular disks of the material.

It will be understood that the form of the buffing wheel shown and described herein is of an illustrative character, that various modifications may be made in respect to the material of which the buffing wheels are constructed, and the manner of stitching, within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

It will also be understood that the process of producing bufiing wheels is notlimited to the particular character of stitching above specifically described and that modifications thereof may be made within the spirit and scope of the claims.

It will be obvious that two or more of' the bufiing wheels above described may be associated upon a suitable arbor to form abufiing wheel of any desired thickness.

Having thus described the invention, what is "claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A buffing wheel made of a plurality of layers of fabric secured together by rows of stitching which extend entirely across the annular face of the wheel in lines which are equidistant apart throughout their length and which curve adjacent the periphery of the wheel in such manner as to form angles with tangents at the points of intersection with said periphery which are respectively greater and less than a right angle, the lines of stitching thereby causing the wheel toact hard when rotated in one direct-ion and relatively soft when rotated in the other direction.

2. A bufling wheel made of a plurality of layers of fabric secured together by rows of stitching which extend entirely across the annular face of the wheel in lines which are equidistant apart throughout their length, both ends of each line curving adjacent the periphery of the wheel in such manner as to form like angles with tangents *at the points of intersection with said periphery which are respectively greater and less than a right angle, the lines of stitching thereby causing the wheel to act substantially throughout its periphery with uniform hardness when rotated in one direction and relatively soft when rotated in the other direction.

v 3. A buillng wheel made of a plurality 01' layers of fabric secured together by rows oi. stitching which extend entirely across the annular face of the wheel in uniformly sinuous lines in which each 10 pair of sinuous curves are equidistant apart throughout their length and which curve at each end adjacent the periphery oi the wheel in such manner as to form like angles with'tangents at the points oi. intersection with said periphery which are respectively greater and less than a right angle, the lines o! stitching thereby causing the wheeleto act hard when rotated in one direction and relatively soft when rotated in the other direction.

ELISHA W. HALL. 

